I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh WAS INSANE

The next blockbuster thriller for those who loved The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl...a novel with “an astonishing intensity that drags you in and never—ever—lets you go.” (Daily Mail, UK)On a rainy afternoon, a mother’s life is shattered as her son slips from her grip and runs into the street . . .

I Let You Go follows Jenna Gray as she moves to a ramshackle cottage on the remote Welsh coast, trying to escape the memory of the car accident that plays again and again in her mind and desperate to heal from the loss of her child and the rest of her painful past.

At the same time, the novel tracks the pair of Bristol police investigators trying to get to the bottom of this hit-and-run. As they chase down one hopeless lead after another, they find themselves as drawn to each other as they are to the frustrating, twist-filled case before them.

review :

I received this book as my May Book of the Month from the Book of the Month Club (yes, I’m way behind in my reading, but it’s in no way a reflection of how amazing this book is).

I picked this book because it looked like a very emotional thriller or mystery. I knew that it involved the accidental death of a child, who was killed in a hit-and-run accident in a rainstorm. What I didn’t know was how many other layers this book would have or how devastatingly beautiful it would be. There are so many clever twists in this book that I couldn’t hope to describe without giving away; you’ll just need to read it for yourself. There are things that you’ll never see coming, even in what seems like a simple case like this.

This book follows several years as the case is being investigated. It tracks Jenna, who has isolated herself after the accident in hopes that no one from her past will find her and that she can begin to forget. It also focuses on the detective who leads the case, which is cold almost as soon as it begins. Through the years, he and his rookie partner are convinced that there is more to this story, that more can still be done, so they gradually begin to undercover clues even years after the incident. Even when everyone else, including the mother of the killed boy, has given up hope that the crime will ever be solved.

It was gruesome, terrifying, and all too realistic, but I loved it. Another voice enters the book about halfway through and it was actually so terrifying that I had trouble falling asleep after reading those chapters. Because it felt too real. The author really has a gift, not only in crafting the story but truly finding the voices of her characters. While the chapters about the police investigation weren’t my favorite, it held a completely different tone and style from Jenna’s chapters, which were completely different from this third voice’s. Switching between them didn’t feel jarring at all because you know immediately who and what you’re reading about. I can’t wait to read more by Clare Mackintosh. I’m sure that whatever else she writes, I’ll love it.

I can’t emphasize how much I love this book–and it’s completely different from most things I’ve read. I don’t think I could compare this accurately to anything because it’s just so special. Go out and get a copy yourself!